01/13/2010

Alpine Beer Company

Tucked away on a back road in a peaceful rural setting in east San Diego County sits a small brewery that brews big beer—in fact, some of the best “big beer” around these days—Alpine Beer Company.

I picked a sunny, quiet weekday to visit this small brewery and decided a moderate hike beforehand would make the beer taste extra good—a little reward after time on the trail.

So myself and a good friend headed east--to San Diego County’s rugged and beautiful backcountry. Our destination was Pine Valley, the starting point of Noble Canyon—a favorite hiking and mountain biking destination.

Pine Valley is an easy 45 minute drive from San Diego and lies about 17 miles beyond Alpine, where Alpine Beer Company is located, making an easy stop on the return trip.

From San Diego, take Highway 8 east about 45 miles to the Pine Valley Road exit. Turn left and cross under the freeway and drive about a quarter mile to a “T” intersection which is Old Highway 80. Turn left on Old Highway 80 and drive about 3 miles to Pine Creek Road and turn right. Drive on Pine Creek Road about 4 miles and look for a sign to the Lower Noble Canyon Trailhead Parking area which will be on your right. Drive about a half mile on the entrance road and find a shady parking spot and gather your essentials for the hike. There are restrooms in the parking lot.

The “Lower Trailhead” begins on the east side of the parking area. The trail quickly ascends a sandy and somewhat rocky hillside, twisting through tall stands of chaparral. Look for White Sage on the left side of the trail and pick a few leaves, crush them and enjoy the fragrance. The trails tops out after a mile or so on a small ridge offering views of the Laguna Mountains to the east and Pine Valley to the west. The trail now gently descends through more brush into oak woodland.

After descending for about a mile the trail levels out and soon intersects Noble Canyon. Hike up the canyon as far as you like, but remember: you will be retracing your steps on the way back and the trail gains a total of 1600’ if you hike the full length.

Noble Canyon is a wooded riparian zone with Oak, Sycamore and Pine trees along with plentiful wildflowers April through Summer. Along with hiking, Noble Canyon is also a very popular mountain biking and equestrian trail.

After a vigorous hike through beautiful mountain scenery—my friend and I were ready for our reward—tasting beer at Alpine Beer Company. We retraced our drive and jumped on Highway 8 west and drove about 17 miles to Alpine. We took the Tavern Road exit and turned left, crossed the freeway and drove about a half mile to Alpine Blvd and turned left again. Alpine Beer Company is located on the right side of the road at 2351 Alpine Blvd. in a very small retail complex—don’t blink or you’ll miss it.

With a good friend accompanying me on the hike—a duet of sorts—it seemed fitting that the first beer to taste was Alpine’s “Duet” IPA. I’m not one for the “beerspeak” that floats around these days, but I will say this: Duet stands out among the crowd of IPA’s that seems to grow by the day. One sip of Duet and you know it’s something special. There are complex but familiar notes of pine, citrus and spices—none dominant or overpowering (there I did it--beerspeak). The hops are notable and strong—but seem to dance with this brew rather than lead in an overpowering way. The flavors splash your tongue and immediately send a signal to the brain requesting more.

After Duet we tasted Exponential Hoppiness—a triple IPA with a complexity and strength that will have hop lovers screaming for more. Next was Nelson, a golden rye IPA that distinguishes itself from the more familiar west coast IPA’s—offering a subtle variation hop lovers will appreciate. To settle my taste buds, I ended with the Mandarin Nectar, an orangey, spicy, honey ale whose flavorful sweetness would pair well with dessert.

After tasting we filled a growler with Duet IPA and purchased a 22oz. bomber of Exponential Hoppiness. We departed planning our next hike and tasting session at Alpine Beer Company.

Alpine Beer Company is open for tasting, growler fills and bottle purchases noon to 6 pm, Tuesday thru Saturday. For tasting you can order 4, 4 oz. glasses from the extensive tap menu.